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- N'IITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORGE M. MOWVBRAY, OF ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICANZYLONITE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PLASTIC COMPOUND RESEMBLING IVORY.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 320,884, dated June 23,1885.

Application filed February 16, 1884. (Specimens) To all whom it mayconcern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. MowBRAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvementsin PlasticCompounds, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my invention consists in a certain composition of matterand in the meth- 0d of blending its components so as to produce averyclose imitation of ivory,wherein I use soluble pyroxyline as thecounterpart of the gclatine, and finely-divided neutral mattersuch asprecipitated sulphate barytes,

I 5 silicate of alumina, Ste-as the counterpart of the skeleton frame ofthe natural tusk. v

Various materialshave been used to imitate this valuable material, amongothers, in a patent granted to J. B. Edson, No. 283,225, An-

gust 14, 1883, a composition of pyroxyline and inert matters isdescribed, where the different growths or layers of zylonite are eitherof differing densities or different colors, so as to indicate the grainof the natural tusk by these characteristics.

Now, my invention secures a homogeneous compound of like densitythroughout, the surface only of the rolled sheets being tinted with aslight stain of color, the result being a closer 3O imitation of naturalivory, the manipulation more facile, and with the ingredients used ashereinafter described a translucency peculiar to natural ivory isobtained.

The ingredients I prefer and their proportions are: of solublepyroxyline, about ten parts; of camphor, from four to five parts; ofprecipitated sulphate barytes, about three parts; oxide of zinc, eitherprecipitated or sublimed, one part. Better results are ob- 0 tained byreducing these ingredients to a fine state of division,rendering themperfectly dry, and thoroughly mixing together, and then adding either ofthe following solvents or a mixture of any of them, viz: ethylicalcohol,

5 methylic alcohol, or methylated spirits, say, about six parts, thesolvent being added to the mixture of pyroxyline and neutral mattersmentioned above. The agglutinated mass is subjected to heat and pressureeffect ed between a pair of rolls in the usual manner well known in theart, so as to reduce the material into sheets, the thickness of whichmay vary from about one thirty-second to onesixteenth of an inch.Alternate sheets are then dipped either into a very dilute solution ofanilineyellow of a tint that will imitatethe grain of the natural tusk,or the surface of each sheet or of each alternate sheet is then paintedover with a very dilute wash of ani- 1ine-yellow,one part of the anilineto one thousco and parts of alcohol being ample. The sheets are nowbundled up in layers and submitted to pressure until a perfect weld ofeach layer to the next is effected. These sheets thus' welded togetherare then ready for manufacturing purposes, and can be reduced to suchforms as may be required by any method known to the art.

I do not confine myself to the exact proportions of the ingredientsabove specified, since the proportions may be varied somewhat withoutinjuring the product; nor am I to be confined to the neutral matter ormetallic oxide specified above, there being many neutral ma terials andother oxides that serve as equiva- 7 5 lents for those specified, butthe above ingredients in the proportions specified and combined in themanner directed have yielded me a composition of matter very closelyresembling the natural ivory tusk.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim is- 1. The withinprocess of producing imitation ivory, consisting in tinting the surfaceof layers of a composition of pyroxyline and inert matters withcoloring-matter, substantially as described.

2. The within process of producing imitation. ivory, consisting incoloring the surface of the layers or alternate layers of pyroxylinecompound and then uniting the same to other layers of like composition,substantially as set forth.

3. Thewithin process of producingimitation ivory, consisting in forminga composition of 5 pyroxyline and neutral matters, then sheeting thesame, next coloring the surfaces of sheets of such composition anduniting such sheets together by pressure, substantially as described.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a pro- 10c duct composed of a seriesof sheets of a com-. position of pyroxyline and neutral matter ofuniform composition,with at least one surface of the superposed sheetscolored and the sections united together either by heat and pressu re orby solvents and pressure, substantially In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

GEO. M. MOXVBRAY. [L. s] WVit-nesses:

RUsL. B. DEAN, as described. S. W. INGALLS.

